X2 Yoga Review

X2 Yoga. The first thing you might want to know after experiencing the 90 minute Yoga X from P90X(1) is how long is DVD? The good news is that it clocks at about 66 minutes. Beyond the difference in duration, there are several differences between Yoga X and X2 Yoga, and I will assume if you are reading this you have done Yoga from P90X and will compare the two, it seems the easiest way to describe the new routine.

Many of the core moves in the asanas are the same as the ones you experience in Yoga X, and in general I'd say if you've never done Yoga X you might be in trouble, but if you know the positions by name, you will be in great shape. One thing I found interesting is that the sequences tend to move faster, you don't always hold the moves for 5 slow breaths, but rather hit the position just long enough to lock in and then move on. Only the first time through a sequence do you spend some time in each position. And when I say the first time, I mean that on some of the sequences, say a vinyasa into warrior 1, you will repeat this sequence 3x per side. The first time is to demonstrate the position, and after that it's go time! I did like this faster paced yoga, though it wasn't as restful.

Another difference is that the asanas sequence take a while to get going, you spend a long time "warming-up" and then doing several vinyasas before the tough moves start. Additionally, the main sequences aren't really sequential, you'll find that in the second set of moves you are already doing warrior 3's and twisting half moons, which is a very difficult move and only appears at the very end of the sequence in Yoga X.

A lot of Yoga:MC2 from the One-on-One series is part of this routine, so you if you click on my product reviews of One-on-Ones you can learn more. There are no balance postures, a short ab workout, and then some stretches and relaxation at the end. One interesting note is that yoga comes after the only day you do ab ripper x in month I of P90X2, so it's odd to do abs two days in a row, but the ab section is very short, and probably doesn't make a big impact. Whereas MC2 seemed more like Tony showing off, X2 Yoga is a little more user friendly and it's nice to have 3 other people, all with different body types and ability, on the floor doing it with Tony.

Overall, this is a great workout. I don't feel as refreshed at the end as I do with Yoga X, but I think it's a nice compromise since so many people complained "Yoga X is too long!!" For 66 minutes, it gets the job done, you don't have to carve out a huge section of your day to do it, and there are new insights on the forms (like doing foot placement on warrior 2, the 3 points of pressure on the foot, etc.) that Tony shares to make you perform better. I'd give the workout a B+. I'm sure when I get to phase II of P90X2, I would upgrade this to an A-, it just seems amidst other slow focus workouts like X2 Core that the Yoga is less important than it really is.